25 Tracks That Make Us Miss Dubstep

A few years ago, the term "EDM" was synonymous with "dubstep" for many people. They were morons, but it goes to show how the genre has fallen from gra

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Complex Original

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A few years ago, the term "EDM" was synonymous with "dubstep" for many people. They were morons, but it goes to show how the genre has fallen from grace in the eyes of the more mainstream crowd. Even in the actual dubstep circles, a lot of producers have moved away from it. That's not to say dubstep is dead, but it feels like the thrill is gone.

We can't help feeling nostalgic - we never forget. There are still tracks left unidentified years after hearing them during huge festival sets, and while many choose to pick up on the next trend, we felt like looking back at some of the heaviest tracks, tunes that make us truly miss what dubstep was, and wonder where it'll end up.

Jogo - "FFFUUUU!"

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Jogo is from Belgium, and never really popped on a massive scale. This track starts with a light intro that includes a hilarious quote from Boondock Saints, then moves into one of the heaviest drops I've ever heard. This track should have been standard in any DJ's collection, and really should have placed more eyes on this talented producer.

Jamiroquai - "Blue Skies (Flux Pavilion Remix)"

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I remember hearing this and thinking "this is an incredibly random artist to sample," but it all made sense once I did a bit of poking around. Mercury Records commissioned Flux Pavilion to do an official remix, but as most labels have NO idea what to do with electronic music, they dropped the ball. "Blue Skies" was released on the same day as Jamiroquai's Rock Dust Light Star album, and this only came out as a promotional CD. The album version peaked at #72 on the UK singles chart, and the Flux Pavilion remix became an instant classic.

Dodge & Fuski - "F*ck Em All"

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Dodge & Fuski are a due from Bristol that are still making absolutely wonderful dubstep. This one is anthemic.

MRK1 - "Power"

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MRK1 had been making grime and dubstep for years before "Power" dropped, but this release was a different level of large. Sampling the hook from Snap!'s original (which came out more than 20 years prior), MRK1 has tons of fantastic tracks. This isn't the most melodic, doesn't have the hardest drop, and certainly didn't get heard as much as his remix for Bassnectar, but this is certainly one of my favorites.

DJ Fresh - "Fight"

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Fresh had a streak where he was consistently producing HITS. We don't just mean that we appreciated them. "Gold Dust" is sitting at almost 19 million YouTube views, and reached #22 on the UK singles Chart. His single "Louder" was the first dubstep track to hit #1 on the UK Singles chart. He's currently noninated for a BRIT Award for Single of the Year for his production for Rita Ora's "Hot Right Now.". We could go on. "Fight" felt like the music that should represent this generation at the end of a James Bond movie. The punchy horns. The vocals. The build. That drop. It's undeniably good.

Skream - "Rigging"

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Skream is one of the few from the original school of dubstep that had continued success in the genre. This was one of his darker tunes, and it wastes no time moving from the build to the grit. This isn't a musically complicated tune, and we love him for that.

Jakes - "Good Foot"

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I really don't need to say much about this record. Or about Jakes in general. His work is destructive. And consistently so. It's almost simplistic in it's production and layering, but we need that from time to time. Jakes is one of the few producers that can make a simple and dark tune pull at our hearts.

Rusko & Reso - "Lick the Lizard"

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This is video of this single getting dropped at a club by Rusko himself. It was the first time he played it out live, which is a big moment for a producer. Hearing something on studio monitors is much different than a large sound system. He sounds TRASHED, and stops it to say "YAYYYYYYY IT SOUNDS GOOD I'M SO HAPPY", and what sounds like "I'm so cool" 10 seconds later. I was laughing SO FUCKING HARD when I saw this. But he didn't tease us. The official release came out not long thereafter.

Kutz - "Superman"

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I sincerely hate Kutz for how long he made all of us wait for this track. A track uploaded to his soundcloud with drops all over it surfaced, and it took nearly a year for the official release to come out. This track is as angry as I was while waiting for an official release.

DKS - "Feel 4 U (AFK Remix)"

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When you think of Dubstep, you think... Dallas? What? AFK hails from Texas, and produced this insane remix for DKS. If there is a dubstep revival, AFK will surely be in the mix. While everyone is jumping on the Trap bandwagon, he's STILL making fantastic dubstep and drumstep tunes. This teaser from a month ago is abrasive.

Emalkay ft. Rod Azlan - "Flesh & Bone (The Others Remix)"

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This is a really cool remix by The Others, labelmates of Emalkay on Dub Police. If you're into this, you should check out the collaboration track with The Others and Emalkay, "Fallout." This is one of the cleanest basslines I've ever heard. I suggest playing this on the biggest pair of speakers you can find.

Daladubz - "Bassball Bat"

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Daladubz is one that's still riding the dubstep wave. His Override EP is out now. This Swede first caught my attention with this single "Bassball Bat." It's a bit wonky, a bit creepy, and 100% filthy.

Derek Allen - "Hard Act to Follow"

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Derek Allen also produces under the name "DJA," and is certainly one of those artists that should have WAY more attention than he should. His production and engineering credits are overwhelming. He co-wrote "Lazer Theme" by Major Lazer, as well as "C'Mon" with Diplo and Tiesto, engineered on two of M.I.A.'s albums, and has done TONS of official remixes. But "Hard Act To Follow" was that first track from him that showed me his potential and reach as an artist.

Eddie K - "Who's The Hardest"

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Representing the H.E.N.C.H. crew, Eddie K is someone we've kept our eyes on for a bit. He has a wide range of sounds, but dubstep suits him best.

Stagga - "Rub On Ya Bass Binz"

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Here we have a darker tune. The staggered snares. The sublte bounce of the bongo. A hearty bass line. A gritty synth. And it all comes together. Stagga hails from Cardiff City, Wales and has been releasing massive tunes for years.

O.P.P. and P0gman - "Here We Go Again"

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Now this one starts off sounding like it's going to be destructive. Another one that gets dirty before the 30 second mark. The unforgiving bass. The peircing screech. P0gman has been one of my favorite producers for the past couple years, and if you look around you'll realize he hasn't slowed down on releases or skimped on quality.

Exponaut - "E621"

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Exponaut is from St. Petersburg. Russia. This track went from obscure to well-recieved quite quickly. But most people have no idea who Exponaut is, and it's easy to tell where he fell through the cracks. There are no songs on the Soundcloud page that's linked to his twitter. His Facebook wall has comments asking him to get back in the game, and wondering if he's still alive. You can enjoy this tune, and a stack of others that are hosted via YouTube. This man's story beyond that is a complete mystery to us.

Original Sin and Taxman - "Take No More"

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Falling in line with most of the tracks on here, we have a melodic intro with some vocal samples, a soft build, and a NASTY drop. This record is timeless, and will be one that I revisit 10 years from now. Original Sin and Taxman are actually brothers, and linked consistently to create some wonderful tunes. This is the cream of the crop, in my opinion.

Monstar - "Put Ya Hands Up"

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Our good friend Trigon from Profound Audio linked me to this track a bit before it came out, and I lost my shit. The intro is absolutely beautiful, quickly leads to a chopping synth, crisp drums, and wonderfully chopped vocals. Then it proceeds to melt your face off. But Monstar seemed to fall off of the face of the planet. His last tweet is from 10 months ago. The websites linked to his Twitter and Facebook both are no longer in operation. Where did he go?

Dan Sena - "Song Of Siren (Dirtyphonics Remix)"

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This French quartet knows how to freak a bass-heavy beat.

Gemini - "Elevate"

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The first time I heard this, I was standing in front of a stage that was built on top of subwoofers. It had been out for a month or so, and slipped past me. I probably listened to it on repeat for an hour when I got home. Pure genius. Gemini has always dipped between genres, so I'm doubtful he'll lead any dubstep revolutions. He's still incredibly young, though. Maybe he'll have a reminiscent moment and provide us with a flashback to this genius.

Darklord Dubload Project - "Jason"

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German producer Darklord's been making dubstep since 2006, after making drum & bass and breaks for years. Where he is now is anyone's guess.

Bong - "Super Powers"

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Bong is from Bucharest, Romania, and released some incredibly big tunes. This might not be the most well received  but it's one of my favorites. Bong has slowed down significantly as far as we can tell, only putting up a few tracks in the past six months. Most of them are clips or previews. We'd appreciate a few new releases from him in 2013.

Aeph - "Faith"

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Aeph created one of the most overlooked tracks I've ever heard in my life. I played it out live a couple times in the summer of 2011, and crowds went nutty. Aeph seemed to move over to drum & bass about a year ago, then his releases slowed significantly. This artist not making dubstep consistently probably saddens me the most.

Plan B - "The Recluse (Nero Remix)"

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I had the pleasure of sound stage access at Camp Bisco in the summer of 2011, and documented Nero dropping this track while playing in one of the tents to what I can only imagine to be more than 10,000 kids. You can debate whether or not you miss this song, but you cannot debate how entertaining that one guy is that's holding onto the fence. Is his neck really holding his head on?

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